“August 10–16. Alma 53–63: ‘Preserved by His Marvelous Power,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Book of Mormon 2020 (2020)
“August 10–16. Alma 53–63,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2020
Two Thousand Young Warriors, by Arnold Friberg
August 10–16
Alma 53–63
“Preserved by His Marvelous Power”
As you read Alma 53–63, think about how you might bring the stories in these chapters to life for the children and help them learn the gospel principles that the stories teach.
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
To prepare the children to learn from Alma 53–63, invite them to share what they remember about the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (see Alma 23–24). To help, show a picture you used to teach the story, or remind them of an activity they did in class.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can be faithful to God like the stripling warriors.
Helaman’s stripling (meaning “young”) warriors can be a great example for the children in your class. Encourage the children to try to become like them.
Possible Activities
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Invite a child to hold up the picture in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families as you summarize the story of Helaman’s stripling warriors. You might also use “Chapter 34: Helaman and the 2,000 Young Warriors” (Book of Mormon Stories, 93–94, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Let the children share what they know and like about the story of the 2,000 stripling warriors.
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Invite a girl and a boy to represent the mothers and fathers of the stripling warriors. As you read Alma 56:27 and 47–48, give these children items to hold that represent how the mothers and fathers helped the warriors, such as a sack of food to represent the “provisions” the fathers sent and scriptures to represent the mothers’ teachings. Ask the children to share things their parents provide for them or teach them.
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Read Alma 53:20–21, and help the children understand what words like valiant, courage, strength, and true mean. Describe how the stripling warriors showed these qualities. Make simple name tags for the children that read, “When I am , I am like a stripling warrior!” Help the children fill in the blank with a quality they choose from Alma 53:20–21.
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Invite the children to complete this week’s activity page. Help them think of ways they can be like the army of Helaman. Sing together “We’ll Bring the World His Truth” (Children’s Songbook, 172–73).
Imagemother teaching her sonSeed of Faith, by Jay Ward
When I am worried, I can trust God.
When he and his armies faced hard times, Helaman trusted the Lord. What can the children you teach learn from his example?
Possible Activities
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Draw a frowning face on the board, and talk about how Helaman was worried because his army didn’t have enough food or enough men to keep fighting (see Alma 58:32–41). Ask the children to share times when they were worried. Read Alma 58:37 (or help a child read it), and help the children change the face on the board to a smiling face to show how Helaman felt because he trusted God. What can we do when we feel worried? Sing together “Smiles” (Children’s Songbook, 267).
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Write on some slips of paper a few things that children might worry about. Let the children take turns choosing a paper for you to read, and invite the children to share how God could help them with each of these worries. Share an experience in which God helped you when you were worried.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
Alma 56:45–48; 57:21, 25–27; 58:39–40
I can be faithful to God like the stripling warriors.
What truths from the story of Helaman’s stripling (meaning “young”) warriors can help the children with the challenges they are facing?
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to share what they know about the stripling warriors. You could also use “Chapter 34: Helaman and the 2,000 Young Warriors” (Book of Mormon Stories, 93–94, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Let the children share what they admire about the warriors.
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Read together Alma 56:45–48; 57:21, 25–27; and 58:39–40. Invite the children to find words and phrases from these verses that describe the stripling warriors. What do these words and phrases mean? How can we be like the stripling warriors?
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Read Alma 56:46–48 to the children, and invite them to listen for what the mothers of the stripling warriors taught their children about faith. How do parents today help their children to have faith? Why is it important for children to follow the righteous teachings of their parents and Church leaders with “exactness”? (Alma 57:21).
I can keep my covenants.
The stripling warriors and their parents made covenants that they fulfilled faithfully. You could use this account to teach the children about the importance of covenants.
Possible Activities
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Divide the children into three groups: one to represent Helaman, another to represent the people of Ammon, and the third to represent the sons of the people of Ammon. Read Alma 53:10–17 together, and let the groups share how the people they represent made and kept covenants. Share your testimony that Heavenly Father blesses us when we keep our covenants.
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Write on the board phrases from Mosiah 18:8–10 or Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 that describe things we covenant to do when we are baptized. Also write some other phrases not related to covenants. Ask the children to circle the things we covenant to do (let them use the scriptures if needed). How are we blessed when we keep our covenants? Encourage the children to write down what they have covenanted with God to do and display their list where they can see it often.
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Invite a child to read Alma 56:27. How did the fathers help their sons without breaking their covenant not to fight? Who supports us in keeping our covenants?
I can choose to not be angry.
Moroni falsely accused Pahoran, but instead of getting angry, Pahoran said, “I … rejoice in the greatness of your heart” (Alma 61:9).
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to think about a time when they were accused of doing something they didn’t do. Tell them about how this happened to Pahoran (see Alma 60–61). You might use “Chapter 35: Captain Moroni and Pahoran” (Book of Mormon Stories, 95–97, or the corresponding video on ChurchofJesusChrist.org). To learn about how Pahoran reacted, take turns reading verses from Alma 61:3–14. What did Pahoran do when Moroni accused him? What do we learn about forgiveness from Pahoran’s example? How can we be like him?
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Write on the board What should I do when someone gets angry with me? Invite the children to take turns writing some answers on the board. How might Pahoran have answered this question? Ask the children to write these answers in a letter to themselves that they can read when someone gets angry at them.
Encourage Learning at Home
Encourage the children to share with their families one way they want to be like the stripling warriors. They could also thank their parents for teaching them like the stripling warriors’ mothers did.
Improving Our Teaching
Engage children in gospel discussions. Altering the classroom setting can sometimes help children better engage in gospel discussions. For example, you could occasionally invite the children to sit in a circle on the floor rather than on their chairs.